The Upside of Falling

Brett remembers a year ago when his father announced that he was going to start leaving for business trips. At the time, Brett was disappointed to hear that his father would be gone so much, but Brett’s mother was thrilled as it was “just another thing to add to [their] family[’s] accomplishments” (154). Brett tries to pinpoint when it all went wrong, when his father’s “business trips” became cover stories to cheat on Brett’s mom. Brett recalls his mother’s strange behavior and crying fits, and he wonders if she already knows. He thinks about how he confessed to having a crush on Becca the night before, and although he wasn’t planning on saying it out loud, he doesn’t regret it. Brett returns home and finds his mother being fitted for a glamorous dress for the grand opening of a hotel this coming weekend. Brett tries to talk to his mother, but when he asks about her crying spells and unusual behavior, his mother avoids his questions. Brett’s father interrupts their discussion and greets Brett. He tells Brett to invite Becca to the hotel’s grand opening, and Brett finds himself “torn between keeping Becca away from this mess and selfishly wanting her there” (164). He promises his father that Becca will be there.

On Monday, Becca and Brett hang out at the arcade after school. Brett is in a terrible mood, angry and confused about his conversation with his mother the day before. Becca tells Brett that what’s happening with his family is like the climax in a story “when everything gets crazy,” and if he “hang[s] in a little longer,” then “everything will be okay” (169). Becca’s encouragement heartens Brett, and he invites her to the hotel’s grand opening: not as a fake date, but as a real date. Becca is full of fear and excitement, and reluctantly, she agrees. On the night of the grand opening, Becca and Brett arrive at the hotel, and Becca is amazed at the grandeur. Becca confesses to Brett that she likes him, but she is worried about getting hurt because “[the] lines between what [is] real and what [is] fake [have] started to blur” (175). Brett promises that he won’t abandon Becca and won’t suddenly decide that he doesn’t like her anymore. Above all, he promises not to break Becca’s heart.

Brett tries to introduce Becca to his parents, but they discover that Brett’s father is meeting up with his mistress outside the hotel. Brett flies into a rage and confronts his father as the partygoers gather in shock and horror. Brett’s mother is unsurprised, but the mistress is. Brett punches his dad, and Becca tries pulling him away from the crowd, but he returns for his mom and leaves Becca in the hotel's parking lot. Suddenly, Jenny pulls up in a car and offers Becca a ride home.

After the disastrous party at the hotel, Brett finds his mother and brings her home. Brett’s mother tries to apologize for keeping secrets, but she “wanted to protect [Brett]” (185) from the truth. Brett helps his mother get cleaned up, and he tucks her into bed. Later, Brett’s father returns home, and Brett confronts him. Brett tells his dad that he can’t stay in the house anymore, and when his father tries to explain, Brett doesn’t want to listen. After all, “whatever reason [his] dad [has] for cheating [won’t] make [Brett] forgive him” (187). Brett does ask his father how long this has been going on, and his father admits that he has been cheating on Brett’s mother for three months. Brett’s father leaves, and Brett struggles to untangle the parts of his life that existed solely to please his father. He started playing football for his dad, and even his relationship with Becca was meant to make his father happy. Brett decides that he needs “a fresh start” and a chance to “figure out who [he] [is] without [his father]” (189).